Harvesting machine, especially a self-propelled pick-up chopper

ABSTRACT

A harvesting machine, especially a self-propelled pick-up chopper for picking up and chopping corn, wilted grass, green feed and similar harvested material includes a feeding housing, which is disposed ahead of a chopping device and accommodates feeding rollers, which can be driven. In order to have created a harvesting machine, which can be adapted to different use conditions, provisions are made so that more than two pairs of feeding rollers are provided, which are disposed consecutively in the feed-conveying direction and the upper rollers of which in each case can be driven over a common driving mechanism the common driving mechanism for adjusting the height of the upper rollers, having at least one driving element, which passes through the feeding housing and the position of which can be changed, and this driving element and the upper rollers being disposed so that they can be shifted by sliding in each case in guides at the side of the feeding housing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a harvesting machine, especially a self-propelled pick-up chopper for picking up and chopping corn, wilted grass, green feed and similar harvested material with a feeding housing, which is disposed ahead of a chopping device and accommodates feeding rollers, which can be driven.

[0002] Harvesting machines of the aforementioned type are known in various developments. Such machines, especially also self-propelled pick-up choppers, have been developed in recent machines to very strong machines which, aside from mowing and harvesting corn, also find use increasingly for chopping wilted material, hay, straw and other harvested materials. For this purpose, a pick-up, a corn dentition or another attachment are disposed ahead of the feeding housing.

[0003] Increasingly, there is also a demand for harvesting machines, which can be adapted to use conditions, moreover, with relatively little expenditure or retrofitting. For example, in many cases efforts are also made, for example, to vary also the cut lengths; conventionally, for this purpose, knife arrangements must be changed in known machines. If, for example, feed rollers are driven at a higher speed, the feed segment up to the conveyer roller frequently is inadequate, for example, for detecting foreign objects and stopping the device adequately quickly, to prevent penetration of foreign objects into the chopping device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a harvesting machine of the above-mentioned type, which meets the requirements for adaptation to different harvesting conditions.

[0005] For accomplishing this objective, the harvesting machine of the initially mentioned type is distinguished owing to the fact that more than two feed roller pairs are provided, which are disposed consecutively in the feeding conveying direction and the upper rollers of which can be driven over a common driving mechanism. For adapting the height of the upper rollers, the common driving mechanism has at least one positionally changeable driving element, which passes through the feeding housing, and the driving element and the upper rollers are disposed in each case so that they be displaced by sliding in guides on the feeding housing side.

[0006] With that, a harvesting machine is available, which can be adapted to different use conditions. For example, the upper feed rollers, which can be shifted by sliding and driven by a common driving mechanism, can be adapted to different material streams by changing the driving speed automatically without the need for manual adjustment work, the driving element following the positional accommodation manual adjustment work not being required.

[0007] Moreover, due to the common driving mechanism, and the more than two pairs of feeding rollers, disposed consecutively in the feeding conveying direction, the conditions are created for realizing different cut lengths of harvested material, in that a sufficient feeding segment still remains for stopping the feeding device in good time, even at higher speeds, when foreign objects are detected, so that the detected foreign objects do not reach the chopping device. Preferably, a driving mechanism is provided in such a manner for this purpose, that the feed rollers can be driven controllably. The construction expenditure, required for this purpose, is significantly less than that for conventional machines, since everything can be brought about from a common driving coupling.

[0008] Because the driving element passes through the feed housing, the external dimensions of the feeding housing are also utilized so that positional changes can be carried out without additional constructional expenditures at other places. The cut length of the harvested material can be changed by controlling the speed of the feed rollers without the need for changing knife arrangements. Preferably, the driving speed can also be controlled as a function of the moisture content of the harvested material with the help of moisture sensors, which act over control electronics on the driving mechanisms of the feed rollers. In addition, when the machine is equipped with a corn cracker, the distance between the nip rollers can also be varied as a function of the moisture content measured in order to optimize a corn cracker for working up the harvested material. Overall, a harvester is best made available which, with little constructional expenditure and without any retrofitting worth mentioning, can be adapted automatically to different use conditions.

[0009] Significant further advantages of the invention arise out of the additional dependent claims, the description below and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]FIG. 1 shows an example of a self-propelled inventive pick-up chopper

[0011]FIG. 2 sectionally shows parts of the example in side view with (partial) representation of the feeding housing with feed rollers, corn cracker and chopping device, as well as a driving mechanism, however, without the parts disposed ahead of the feeding housing,

[0012]FIG. 3 shows a representation, similar to that of FIG. 2, obliquely from the front right, in sectional, perspective representation,

[0013]FIG. 4 shows a representation, similar to that of FIG. 3, obliquely from the front (left),

[0014]FIG. 5 shows a representation (sectionally), also similar to that of FIG. 3, with a representation of the driving mechanism of the feed rollers; and

[0015]FIG. 6 shows a detailed representation of an example of a chopper drum for an inventive harvester.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] The pick-up chopper 1, shown quite generally in FIG. 1, has wheels 2, a cabin 3, a corn dentition 4, which is in front of the pick-up chopper 1 in the example, an ejection pipe 5 and units, disposed within the housing 6, such as the driving mechanism, the transmission, the chopping device, the corn cracker and similar aggregates typical for field choppers.

[0017] The feeding housing 8, which is disposed in front of the chopper 7 (FIG. 2), has supplying elements 9 in the form of feed rollers, which are disposed consecutively in the feed conveying direction as well as one above the other, as well as further feed organs, the details of which cannot be seen, such as a pick-up with feeding screws, which can be driven from a universal-joint propeller shaft 10 over transmission units, the details of which are not visible (FIG. 5).

[0018] In the example shown, a total of six feed rollers 9 are provided namely three lower feed rollers 9 and three upper feed rollers 9. The lower feed rollers 9, the diameters of which decrease in the feeding direction, are stationary and driven over a universal-joint propeller shaft 11 (FIG. 5). The upper feed rollers 9 are guided positionally changeably in the side walls 12 of the feeding housing 8 in guides 13, 14 and 15, which are aligned parallel to one another. The upper feed rollers 9 are driven over a universal-joint shaft 7, which extends from the—as seen in the feeding conveying direction—right side wall 12 of the housing transversely through the feeding housing 8 up to the—as seen in the feeding conveying direction—left side wall of the feeding housing 8. On the left side of the housing side wall 12, a further guide 16 for the universal-joint shaft 17 is provided, so that the latter, with the upper feed rollers 9, is also positionally variable and can adapt itself therefore to different amounts of material flowing. The feed roller 9 is therefore driven by the—as seen in the feeding conveying direction—right side over the universal-joint propeller shaft 8 and further driving means 18 through the feeding housing 8 onto a gear wheel 19, over which all upper feed rollers are driven by means of further drive-transferring means 20.

[0019] Due to this common driving mechanism with the universal-joint shaft 17 passing through the feeding housing 8, the rotational speed can also be controlled very easily, as a result of which different cut lengths of the harvested material can be realized automatically for different uses, without the need for special constructional expenses. For example, the cut lengths can be changed from 17 to 20 mm without any problems by way of the motor 28 (FIG. 5), which can be controlled independently of the driving mechanism for the universal-joint propeller shaft 10. Without that, the rotational speed of the feed rollers 9 can be adapted as a function of the moisture content of the harvested material using moisture sensors 22 and control electronics, the details of which are not shown. If a higher speed is employed, the feed roller pairs present provide adequate distances, so that the segment, available for stopping, is adequate if, for example, foreign objects have been detected. In the sense of an improvement of the silage-making process and a good feed quality, the matching of the chopped length as well as the working-up output of nip rollers 26 of a corn cracker 27 as a function of the moisture content of the material being chopped are of considerable advantage. For this purpose, the moisture content of the harvested material is measured by the moisture sensors 22. By changing the distance between the nip rollers 26 of the corn cracker, the working up of the grain, for example, is adapted over a spindle motor 21 (FIG. 2) and over the control electronics, which are not shown.

[0020] Because of the guides 13, 14, 15 and the rocker arms 23, in which they are mounted, the feed rollers 9 are disposed in such a manner, that there is parallel guidance upward. Moreover, they swivel about a rear axis 24. All three upper feed rollers 9 accordingly swivel so that a good take-up of material and delivery to the chopper drum 7 is ensured under all harvesting conditions and throughputs. They swivel about an axis 24 in their position parallel to the chopping device 7, the upper feed rollers 9 adapting in relation to the lower feed rollers 9 to the flow of material. By means of a total of four springs 25, which have been provided in the example, the conditions for the material can be adjusted by the force of the springs, the swiveling being damped.

[0021] The moisture content is measured over moisture sensors 22, preferably over the electrical conductivity of the material. For this purpose, two sensors, for example, may be provided at the side walls 12 of the feeding housing 8. They determine the electrical conductivity, information being passed on to a computer.

[0022] Due to the very long supplying path with a total of six feed rollers 9, it is possible to realize high supplying speeds while ensuring a quick stop function. For this purpose, preferably 16 pairs of knives are provided on the chopper drum (FIG. 6) in a V-shaped arrangement of the knives with an overlapping dimension between knives, which are consecutive in the circumferential direction (FIG. 6). 

1. A harvesting machine, especially a self-propelled pick-up chopper for picking up and chopping corn, wilted grass, green feed and similar harvested material with a feeding housing (8), which is disposed ahead of a chopping device (7) and accommodates feeding rollers (9), which can be driven, wherein more than two pairs of feeding rollers (9) are provided, which are disposed consecutively in the feed-conveying direction and the upper rollers (9) of which in each case can be driven over a common driving mechanism (17, 18), the common driving mechanism (17, 18), for adjusting the height of the upper rollers (9), having at least one driving element (17), which passes through the feeding housing (8) and the position of which can be changed, and this driving element (17) and the upper rollers (9) being disposed in each case so that they can be shifted by sliding in each case in guides (13, 14, 15, 16) at the side of the feeding housing.
 2. The harvesting machine of claim 1 , wherein the upper rollers (9) are supported so that their height can be adjusted in rocker arms (23) disposed at the side of the feeding housing (8).
 3. The harvesting machine of claim 1 , wherein the rocker arms (23) of the upper rollers (9) are mounted outside of the bearings of the upper rollers (9) so that they can be swiveled about a stationary axis
 24. 4. The harvesting machine of claim 1 , wherein a total of three pairs of feed rollers (9) are provided consecutively in the feed-conveying direction.
 5. The harvesting machine of claim 1 , wherein a driving element (17), which passes through the feeding housing (8), is provided for the common driving mechanism (17, 18) of the upper rollers (9).
 6. The harvesting machine of claim 1 , wherein the driving element (17), passing through the feeding housing (8), has two moving joints within the feeding housing (8).
 7. The harvesting machine of claim 6 , wherein the moving joints are constructed as universal joints.
 8. The harvesting machine of claim 1 , wherein the driving element (17), passing through the feeding housing (8), is guided at one end in a diagonally aligned guide (16).
 9. The harvesting machine of claim 8 , wherein the upper roller (9) is disposed so that it can be shifted by sliding against the force of at least one spring (25).
 10. The harvesting machine of claim 1 , wherein the guides (13, 14, 15) for the upper rollers (9) are aligned parallel.
 11. The harvesting machine of claim 1 , wherein the feeding rollers (9) have a decreasing roller diameter in the direction of conveying.
 12. The harvesting machine of claim 1 , wherein the driving speed of the feed rollers (9) can be varied.
 13. The harvesting machine of claim 1 , wherein a metal detector is assigned to the feed rollers (9).
 14. The harvesting machine of claim 1 , wherein a moisture sensor (22) for the harvested material is assigned to the feed rollers (9).
 15. The harvesting machine of claim 14 , wherein the moisture sensor (22) has a device for measuring the electrical conductivity.
 16. The harvesting machine of claim 14 , wherein the moisture sensor (22) in each case is disposed at a housing wall (12) of the feeding housing (8).
 17. The harvesting machine of claim 14 , wherein the moisture sensor (22) is connected over control electronics with the driving mechanism of the feed rollers (9).
 18. The harvesting machine of claim 14 , wherein the moisture sensor (22) is connected with nip rollers (26) in such a manner, that the distance between mutually assigned nip rollers (26) can be varied as a function of the moisture content determined. 